Friday, March 29, 2013

Brisk For Opening Day In Great Lakes & Midwest

A cold front will be approaching Philadelphia on Monday, with us looking at the prospect of warmth out ahead of the front and the prospect of getting to 60 degrees for the only time in a three plus week window looming for our region may spark spring fever and thoughts of going of the Phillies' opener on Friday.

Don't get too excited about the warmth -- it won't last.

Cooler air will slide back on in for a few days later next week, with highs struggling to crack 50 on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

In the Midwest and Great Lakes, that chill will be in place on Opening Day, with outdoor games scheduled for Minneapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. All four of those games will feature pretty cold temperatures, even for early April standards.

Minneapolis' looks to be the most "fun" environment -- modeling output suggests a high in the mid 30's on Monday afternoon with winds gusting over 20 miles per hour, resulting in wind chills in the lower half of the 20's during the game. The Twins have stated it's unlikely that the game will be moved back a day to a scheduled "off" day on Tuesday as temperatures the next day don't look much warmer (forecast high is 39).

Yeah, about that retractable roof the Twins' didn't get but lobbied for, there is a game scheduled on Monday in Milwaukee's Miller Park, which has a roof. Case closed there.

Other outdoor games scheduled to be played in chilled environs include Pittsburgh (around 40 and a chance of rain and snow showers), Cincinnati (low 40's, slight chance of showers), and Chicago (also around 40). Needless to say, April baseball isn't always played in warm conditions...this year serves as a kind reminder of that!